Dear Sir, Thank you for considering my question. I understand that there
may be flu like symptoms associated with early infection, usually 2-4
weeks after infection. Is the symptomatic stage (ie night sweats, weight
loss, etc) that I often hear about also associated with early infection,
or is it something that develops over a period of time. Could you please
give me some information on the symptomatic stage.... Thank you.

Response from Mr. Sowadsky

Hi. Thank you for your question.

Chronic symptoms such as drenching night
sweats, weight loss, etc. are usually not seen until an average of 10 years
after infection. These types of symptoms are not seen after recent HIV
infection. The following information compares the symptoms of both recent
HIV infection, and the symptoms due to full-blown AIDS. You will note that
the symptoms of AIDS itself tend to be chronic, long-term and can recur over
and over. This differs from the symptoms of recent HIV infection, which are
acute, only last for a week or two, and do NOT recur over and over.

When we're talking about symptoms, it's important to remember that there are
actually 2 periods of time when one may show symptoms.

Within the first 4-6 weeks after infection, some people with HIV (up to 70%)
show symptoms due to "Acute Viral Syndrome". This occurs during your bodies
initial response against the virus. During this time, a person may show
symptoms that look exactly like the flu (headaches, body aches, fevers,
fatigue etc.). A rash is sometimes seen, primarily in the upper portion of
the body. The rash may or may not itch, and can be raised. There is no such
thing as an "HIV/AIDS rash", and if a rash is seen at all, it resembles
rashes seen from many other skin conditions. All of the symptoms last for a
week or two, then go away by themselves. They do NOT persist for many weeks
or months. In some people with Acute Viral Syndrome, the symptoms can be
very severe. In other people with HIV, these symptoms may be very mild. In
still other people with HIV, they may not show these symptoms at all. A
person may, or may not, show positive on an HIV test during this period of
time. I must strongly emphasize here that ALL of the symptoms of Acute Viral
Syndrome look exactly like the symptoms of other illnesses, so having flu
symptoms or a rash does NOT indicate HIV infection, in of itself. It is also
important to remember that not all people will get Acute Viral Syndrome, and
in those that do get it, the severity can vary significantly from person to
person. Because Acute Viral Syndrome looks exactly like the symptoms of many
other illnesses, NOBODY can tell you whether your symptoms are due to this
syndrome or not. Only HIV testing can determine if a person has HIV or not.

In regard to the symptoms related to full blown AIDS itself, they don't
usually begin until literally years after infection. Before that time, a
person can look and feel totally healthy with no symptoms at all. As for the
specific symptoms of AIDS, there are no specific symptoms you could list.
This is because AIDS is actually a group of diseases, and therefore you're
dealing with groups of symptoms. Because AIDS is actually a group of
diseases, there are literally dozens and dozens of different symptoms. Not
everyone with AIDS has every disease and therefore not everyone has every
symptom. Every symptom of AIDS looks like the symptoms of other illnesses.
There are no symptoms that are unique to AIDS. Symptoms can include severe w
eight loss, fevers, drenching night sweats, fatigue, purple-colored blotches
on the skin, severe headaches, severe diarrhea, and the list goes on and on.
Generally the symptoms tend to last for many weeks or months at a time, and
do not go away by themselves (not without treatment). They can also recur
over and over. Notice how this differs from the symptoms of Acute Viral
Syndrome, which only lasts for a week or two, and do NOT recur over and over.
AIDS symptoms are ongoing and can be very severe. AIDS related symptoms do
not begin until an average of 10 years after infection. You can have HIV and
even full blown AIDS and have no symptoms at all!

Generally speaking, if you have any symptoms that last for more than 1 to 2
weeks and do not go away, or if you have any symptoms that are very severe,
always seek medical attention, regardless of what you think the problem is.
You can't assume any symptom is HIV/AIDS related until you get laboratory
tests. Remember, every symptom related to HIV/AIDS looks like the symptoms
of other illnesses. Therefore symptoms alone cannot determine whether a
person has HIV or not. That's why laboratory testing is so important.

Also, if a person tests negative at the time that they are showing symptoms,
that indicates that their symptoms are not AIDS related. A person first
shows positive on the test (by 6 months after infection), and then later
shows symptoms (an average of 10 years after infection). So if a person tests
negative at the time that they're showing symptoms, that indicates that the
symptoms are not AIDS related.

I hope this cleared things up between the symptoms of recent HIV infection,
and the symptoms of full-blown AIDS.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the Centers for Disease Control at 1.800.232.4636 (Nationwide).

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